MovieChat Forums > The Young Ones (1998) Discussion > How well known is this in America

How well known is this in America

posted 12 years ago by burun100
17 replies | jump to latest

I never thought this was that well known in America but it seems to be better known than I thought. It was shown on MTV which was quite a big channel to be shown on and the Nostalgia Critic mentioned it in his review for Drop Dead Fred he says about Rik Mayall "that guy from the Young Ones" as though that's a reference he expects people will get. I also hear that they got Rik Mayall to be in Drop Dead Fred because he of the young ones. Does it have a big cult following in America I would really appreciate any American fans getting back to me on this.

[–] tigrasia 12 years ago

I don't know about a big cult following but a lot of people I know watched it. I don't know about it being the reason Rik Mayall was cast in Drop Dead Fred. The only other thing I saw him appear in was that guest spot in Blackadder Goes Forth.

[–] Timberwolf0530 12 years ago

I watched it on MTV when I was in college. We had about 10-12 of us that would all get together to watch it. I haven't seen it in years, but it was a hilarious show, and I wish it had a longer run.

[–] techbox14 12 years ago

I think there are an awful lot of people over here who do not have the communication skills to hear the dialog properly.

It's like one of my friends...we were watching Quint's famous monologue in Jaws, and he's like "you know, I can't understand a word he's saying."

Same friend loved Seinfeld, which never held my attention.

You have to be able to process information...fill in the blanks....

At my work, we have to speak with India quite a bit.

Everyone tries to do all they can to avoid speaking with them on the phone because of the language issue.

I don't like talking to them either, but when I do I can decipher what they are saying pretty well.

I think the key is not to try and catch every word. You use context to see where they're going.

So getting back to the original question, it's not very well known. But the ones who liked it, liked it a lot.

[–] grendelkhan 10 years ago

It was pretty big with the college crowd, when it debuted on MTV. Just about everyone in my dorm watched it and that seems fairly comparable across the country.

For me, it was a great time for British comedy. Our local PBS station (run from the campus) had regular Britcoms, like Fawlty Towers, Doctor in the House, and Good Neighbors (The Good Life), plus Monty Python and Doctor Who. Our cable had MTV, with The Young Ones and (soon after) Comic Strip Live. It also had A&E (which was a bigger budget PBS-like station, at that point) which had Blackadder 1 and 2 (which was all there was, at that point), Yes Minister, Butterflies, Solo, Last of the Summer Wine, the Fainthearted Feminist (with Lynne Redgrave), and Father, Dear Father. The PBS station would eventually expand the Britcom block to a nightly broadcast of one or two series, then a 2-3 hour block on Saturday evenings, after Doctor Who went into hiatus and decline (Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy years).

"Fortunately, Ah keep mah feathers numbered for just such an emergency!"

[–] orbit991 10 years ago

Yea I remember it from when MTV had them on all the time, PBS had Red Dwarf and Black Adder on back then as well. It's a cult show, many who were in college back then know of it and pass that to their kids or friends. These days UK shows are all over the place so most everything is available and there is a audience for it.

[–] serviliaspearl 10 years ago

It was very popular among the college crowd back in the 80s. In the pre-digital age many of us taped it and watched it for years afterwards. I remember getting together with friends in the late 90s and pulling out the old VHS tapes to binge watch it.
I remember when Drop Dead Fred came out and while I was like OMG RIK MAYALL!! some friends of mine who were just a few years younger had absolutely no idea who he was and had never heard of the Young Ones. For me it was one of those shows that stuck with me and helped me discover IMDB and I was pleasantly surprised to find so many fans here.

[–] TracyNineLives 10 years ago

I'm not sure how big of a following it had but The Young Ones was big with my close circle of friends in the mid 80s. My best friend was the only one with a satellite dish (which was the size of a barn)and we all got together at her house to watch it. I think people in the cities had cable at that time but we grew up in the mountains with rabbit ears on our tvs with 3 or 4 fuzzy channels. We loved the guys, the humor, and music on the show. I still remember Motorhead's appearance and became a Girlschool fan because of them.

So to answer your question, I don't know but I guess it had a cult following with Americans who were already exposed to and fans of British comedy and culture like Monty Python, Benny Hill, Led Zeppelin, The Lord of the Rings....

[–] pacwarbuff 9 years ago

I also remember watching The Young Ones, which used to air on MTV late nights on Friday or Saturday in the mid-to-late '80s, which were my high school years.The high school that I attended was largely populated with very preppie/republican/suburban "spawn of yuppie" type kids so TYO was not exactly the series of choice. It was only watched by a few, progressive/alternative type kids.

I would watch an occasional episode with the Motorhead episode being a "big deal" back then to some people. I know that Ireallyenjoyed the show. TYO was definitely the "cool" show for Punk/Alternative music fans butthere was great affection for it among the few I knew that watched it.

Some years later, I watched part of an episode and maybe it was my mood at the time, but I found it to be painfully unfunny. A close friend of mine--who loved Punk and New Wave music--worshipped this show and probably wished he could live those characters' lives. 

I will give The Young Ones another look; this time through my aging adult eyes.  I hope I like it this time around.

[–] jefgg 9 years ago

I remember seeing "The Young Ones" on MTV. I don't think it really caught on in the USA.

[–] biggiebaby 9 years ago

I'm from a very rural small town in Tennessee, and watched the show in my early teens.. My lord, I thought it was the funniest thing ever. The cat as the doorbell, when I think about that scene, I still laugh out loud.

[–] SteveHerold 9 years ago

If you were in your teens in the US in mid to late 80s and had cable it's almost a sure thing you saw The Young Ones at least once. And the more comedically inclined became rabid fans. It's the greatest tv show I've ever seen.